Christians To Blame For Secular Christmas

When the now infamous White House social secretary Desiree Rogers revealed to The New York Times that the Obamas were planning a "non-religious" Christmas for the "people's house," she put herself at the center of an entirely different, but no less fiery, controversy -- the Christmas wars.

Early this year, during a luncheon with other former social secretaries, Rogers announced that part of the Obamas' new spirit of inclusiveness (ironically) would exclude references to Christianity during Christmas. Most notably, the Obamas would not be displaying the 18th century White House nativity scene. An Obama official confirmed that there were internal discussions regarding the manger display, but in the end, tradition (along with post-state dinner scandal fatigue) trumped, and the Holy Family was not banned from the East Room after all.

Sadly, both approaches precisely miss the point of this sacred and beautiful holiday.

It makes zero sense to recruit retailers in this crusade when consumerism is the reason why Christmas has morphed into a hollow shopping ritual that, come January, leaves too many families with debt hangovers and an empty feeling inside. Demanding that store clerks cheerily proclaim "Merry Christmas" as they ring up your power tools and iPod does precious little to put the Christ-child back in Christmas.

To the Obamas and others pushing the ridiculous notion of a "non-religious" Christmas, it would do them well to consider that respect for other people's faith is not accomplished by hiding your own. If the goal of the White House is to remain neutral about part of our nation's heritage, Christianity, or, for that matter, about the religious beliefs held by many of its current residents, fine with me.But if that's the case, then please spare us the tab for the reported 50,000 White House visitors who will be cocktailed and dined this month in an endless succession of banal and meaningless "holiday" parties.

If Christians truly desire to bring sacredness and religious significance back to Christmas, then it's silly to look to retailers or the First Family. Instead, let it begin, as charity does, at home. Families can start by reintroducing the season of Advent and the spirit of reflection and spiritual preparation that once occupied the four weeks leading up to Christmas.

Instead of allowing ourselves to get swept up in the whirlwind of "holiday" parties, useless gift exchanges and harried shopping, we can use those weeks to prepare our hearts and homes in meaningful ways for the Prince of Peace. Make time for family prayer, singing and the lighting of the Advent wreath. Choose cards and decorations that have religious significance.

How many homes have a prominently displayed nativity scene at Christmas time? My guess is not too many. The same goes for Christmas carols. Does your playlist include more Frosty and Santa Baby than Silent Night and Handel's Messiah? How about keeping those lights on and the tree in the house for the twelve days of Christmas - you know the twelve that follow Christmas day. Or consider caroling or having a Christmas gathering after December 25th? We have only ourselves to blame when we lose these beautiful traditions.

Should Christians be concerned about the secularization of Christmas? Sure they should. I resent school "winter" concerts, "holiday" parades, and the ridiculous fear that prevents people from wishing each other "Merry Christmas!" with total abandon.

But Christmas starts with us. In our hearts. In our homes. And in a very simple decision to reclaim the silence, joy, and quiet simplicity of that first Christmas in Bethlehem when God chose to speak to mankind in the small cry of a newborn baby.
Related: The December Dilemma

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ReaderComments (Page 3 of 40)

william geibel, you're only partially right and, actually, you miss the more important reason for the Church the pagan feast of Saturnalia on 25 Dec as the Feastday of the Nativity of Christ. It did indeed serve to interest pagans in Christianity. Much more importantly and wonderfully, however, the Church, by this means, converted that pagan feast to true worship, the worship of Jesus Christ and in that way evangelized that pagan feast!

Actually, the Apostle Paul established the templet for this kind of evangelization. The Acts of the Apostles records that, while in Athens, he was touring the Pantheon -- the shrine to "all the gods" -- when he came upon the shrine dedicated "To the Unknown God". He then took the opportunity to preach to the Athenians that this Unknown God whom they were worshiping is Jesus Christ who has redeemed and saved us by his Blood.

Throughout the missionary history of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, this is the templet that has been adopted. In the 17th century, Fr. Matteo Ricci, SJ, in evangelizing the Chinese, used as much from their culture and religion as could be harmonized with the Gospel and true Faith in Christ.

The same is true of much of the theological Tradition of the Church. In 325, the Bishops gathered at the great Council of Nicea borrowed a word from Greek -- ie. pagan -- philosophy, "Homoousios", meaning "of one being", to teach the truth of the Holy Trinity. And, later, in the middle ages, St. Thomas Aquinas used the ancient philosophy of Aristotle, which had gained renewed appreciation at the time, to coin the word "Transubstantiation" to explain the "True Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist.

Let me use this opportunity to state the truth that is at the basis of all this. And it is that the Church and the world are NOT meant to be in ultimate opposition. Indeed, David the Psalmist was inspired to proclaim "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord". And the Apostle Paul looks forward to the Day that "All will be all in Christ Jesus the Lord!"

Frankly, this is why all the "consumerism" that we rail against-- the lights; the tinsel; the shopping til you're dropping; the blaring music, even secular as well as religious -- doesn't really bother me. Why? Because, in their own imperfect way, they all testify -- even if without realizing it -- to the Nativity of Christ! The lights of the city and the malls are all icons -- albeit imperfect ones -- of the Star of Bethlehem; the shimmering tinsel points to Heaven's Dew on the earth; the giving of presents stands for God Gift of his Son. Oh, and the blaring music in the malls? Well, of course, that stands for the Hymn of the Angels at the Nativity: "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth Peace to all people of Good Will! However imperfectly, it shows that, in the end, when all is said and done and no matter how much some try to eliminate it, the Truth remains: CHRIST is in CHRIST-MASS!

I totally agree with the writer even though I believe all religion to be man made nonsense made of stories to fit invested interests of the time. However, this article speaks of consistency. I can respect a christian who practices the true meaning of christmas.....whatever that is. Oh...the embrace of another recycled sexist story about praising a son who has come to save the day....hmmmm....which goes back we before Christianity. But to each his own. Nevertheless, it has become a money making gimmick. But then again. Religion is a gimmick. Hmmmmm. So I suppose it is quite fitting.

Amen, I hate Christmas...not the HOLYDAY... the commercial season. My tree is never lite before 12/25/ and church always comes before santa. My chidren are grown and well versed in the meaning of Christmas as are my grandchildren. They know the religious meanings of all the symbols of Christmas and why JESUS came into this world. Most Christians know Jesus was not born on 12/25, the early church used this date and time of year to try and bring the pagans into the church not send the followers of Christ to paganism.I believe Catholics, Orthodox and all other Christian religions should take back thier HOLYDAY!!! Remove it from the federal calendar of holidays, federal holidays should be the 4th of July, 12/7, Memorial Day etc. all other holiday should be dropped. We should celebrate the birth of CHRIST and not use His birth as form of economic recovery. Christmas is actually the second most important Holyday with EASTER being the first. If Christ was not born and did not die he could not have raised Himself from the dead and opened the gates of Heaven for all who had gone before and were yet to come.Christians arise and stand up for your beliefs!!!!!!!

People who celebrate Christmas are in two camps, the 1. Christian camp and celebrate Christmas in church in the solemn, sacred way this holy day was meant to be celebrated and 2. the Sant and Rudolph camp. These people tell their children the myth of Santa and how he gives 'good' boys and girls things they write on lists and ask for and does this all on one night while flying around the globe with a magical reindeer whose nose lights the way... there is lots of trickery and bribery with option #2. And some people are confused and can't decide if they go for the religious option or the non-religious option and so they do a little bit of truth and a little bit of lies. I thank God (my God) we don't celebrate any kind of Christmas in our home.

I concur! As a single parent I've struggled to maintain a balance between the true spiritual meaning of Christmas, while enjoying many of the traditions of the season that create such wonderful memories. The advent is a wonderful tool for accomplishing this.

Well written! However although I do a agree with some parts of this article there are some I definately don't.

A couple of things I agree with:1. The Obama's not celebrating Christmas as a political move to stay neutral. You should always stand by your convictions, no matter how unpopular they may make you. The Obama's should celebrate Chistmas like they always do.

2. Christmas is yet another holiday that has become nothing more than an excuse for even further overconsumption. What was once a beautiful time of togetherness has become nothing more than a means to boost the economy each year.

3. We must foster the value of family, not the value of consumption in America.

Some things I don't agree with:

1. Christian extremists who are willing to boycott any store that does not have the same religious ideologies as them. If all religions were so demanding, businesses would have to honor all religious traditions.

2. Verbage such as "holidays" and "winter" which is used in place of religious verbage is absolutely appropriate if one wants to avoid possibly offending anyone. Not everyone is a Christian that celebrates Christmas, assuming that everyone does/should celebrate Chirstmas is rude.

In America we pride ourselfs on the commitment to seperate church and state. It is one of our fundamental beliefs that religion should not influence the government. This does not mean that government officials cannot have their own religious convictions, however it does mean that government officials should govern with the interests of the people in mind.

Additionally, the problem with many both secular and non-secular Americans who celebrate Christmas is the consumerist/privelaged attitude that they should get what they want NOW! Christians wants this, others want that!

Everyone needs to stop making demands and wanting stuff. Instead this Christmas we should focus on serving each other and becoming a global community which does not pick at our differences, but instead celebrates the fact that we are different and unique.

I agree with you, we3, we Christian's are the ones who have allowed things to get out of hand. I can NOT blame anyone else if I keep quiet or only support those who agree with me - then I am just like the world. I have been saying Merry Christmas all season and will continue, even if no one else does! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! And Happy Birthday, Jesus...(Yes, I know He was born in the fall, but it does not matter what day we celebrate He Birthday on, it's the fact we do)...

To the writer, Mr. Dobson knows the true "reason for the season", he is just trying to get shoppers to spend with retailers who do acknowledge Christmas for what it is, celebration of the Birth of Jesus, and not anything else. This country was founded on biblical morals and because of that we became a great nation. We are tearing our foundation out from under ourselves everytime we bend or reshape our society to please these people or those people. Our forefathers were firm and strong, and those are two characteristics that cannot describe America today. We are no longer a great nation. But one that accepts any and every belief, instead of standing up and saying "believe wha you want, but this nation will conform to the same morals as we always have, and we will not stray from it." But that might offend someone.

I agree, and I thank Rachel for her comments, too. She hit the nail on the head. The tradition of Christmas has lost its true meaning in the commercialization of the celebration of Christ's birth. And we are to blame! We Christians! We probably constitute the largest majority of anything in the U.S. Polls say 86% of us believe we are a nation founded on Christmas values. So, if we want to say that, and we believe it, then we need to start acting like it. I think we should do as Rachel says, start at home. With ourselves, our families and our children. And speak up to others! Proclaim Christ! Send a clear message to our government and to the world, and mostly to God, that we are not only believers but Christians who practice our faith.We do not need to do this at the expense of other religions. This country was founded on religious tolerance. But we can practice Christian values and at least hold our goverment to those standards.My opinion.Merry Christmas to you all, and God bless you!

try being more tolerant of others and maybe the world will be more tolerant of your. you cannot condemn people (gays, muslims etc) and expect christians to escape the same intolerance that they spread. a seperation of church and state is a fundamental cornerstone this country was founded on. this was set so no one religeous paradigm could dominat and supress another. the white house is the "peoples" house and this country is made up of more than just christian people.

Are You Kidding me? First off I think it's the best thing in the world is to ABOLISH RELIGION! Im sorry but when I realized that more people die everyday over religious purposes than for any other reason SOMETHING IS WRONG!!. Anyone who knows their history will tell you that our founding fathers did NOT want ANYTHING to do with religion just go ask Thomas Jefferson or Ben Franklin these people never wanted religion and I agree, and Im sick of it. Now the other side of the coin. I am all in favor of people doing their own things such as a kind of "your side of the street" deal but I would never involve myself in a selfish, meaningless idea as Christmas.. Im all for presents just not with any religion in it. and being that it was until 340 years after the supposed "Savior" died that his birthday was even "Confirmed". To take a following to something that isnt even proven? Im sorry but that is "The blind leading the blind" I am happy that one of our SANE and NORMAL presidents finally decides to do something different this year. Its ashame that he was FORCED to conform to all the nonsense and B.S. that is involved with Christmas. I don't believe in Santa because I know its not possible to fly around the world dropping presents down everyones chimmeys. Just as I know that Jesus wasn't real. Grow up or go kill yourself to be with god because it's a "Better place". ~E.J.

Personally I don't find it offensive if someone doesn't say Merry Christmas. Celtic, Druids, Romans, Pagans all celebrated Yule long before Christmas was labeled as such. I don't think forcing stores or employees to have to say Merry Christmas is good either. Might not be their religion. They could be Jewish or any other religion that does or does not celebrate this time of year. So saying Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings isn't ridiculous. The greeting is still the same, they are wishing you the best of YOUR holiday celebration no matter what religion you are. No ones religious background is better then someone else's religion. Making people to say or do pertaining to only Christmas is the same as pushing your religion on someone else. I celebrate Yule/Winter Solstice. Not offended if someone says Happy Hanukkah, Quanza or anything else I know what they mean the same thing if I say have a Blessed Yule or Brightest Winter Solstice to anyone. Not shopping at a store or business because they don't say Merry Christmas is ridiculous. Haven't Americans grown out of desegregation yet? It's the same as Black & White wars. If you had a choice to shop at a white store or a black one you'd chose one or the other based on your skin color? America Grow Up. Choice of shopping Happy Holiday's store or Merry Christmas store, you people are saying don't shop anywhere or go anywhere unless they are celebrating or saying Merry Christmas (back to the black & white things all over again - same thing!). If they have what your looking for who cares. Many of the employees are of different religions anyway now days. I surely would not want to have to be forced to say some one's personal religious greeting. So the universal Happy Holidays works or Seasons Greetings. Means the exact same thing. No one is saying you have to stop saying Merry Christmas. Go ahead. I don't find it offensive. However, don't point fingers at me or anyone else who chooses not to say it because Blessings for a Happy Yule is my choice or Happy Hanukkah is someone else's choice or any other holiday greeting. We're not bad people because we don't say CHRISTmas.Do we really want to regress back to Christianity or the Black & White wars all over again. It's all the same. Christmas wars ridiculous. Leave everyone alone who chooses to say or do what they want this Holiday Season. Not every one celebrates the same way & you can't make them or push your religious ideas on them either. So if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Quanza, Winter Solstice/Yule or any other holiday or religion during December good for you at least you believe in something. Don't criticize or condemn them because they don't choose to believe the way you do or that they don't say Merry Christmas. This isn't a Christmas War then it's a RELIGIOUS ONE. Let's not go there. It's the holidays for most & we should respect each others ways & beliefs on how each of us celebrate so if saying Happy Holidays still gets the Good Tidings wishes across so be it. At least they are saying this wish you a wonderful holiday. Don't find it offensive take it in good spirit & light that they thought kindly enough to wish you & yours well during your holiday as I am going to do now. May all of you have a Blessed Yule, Happy Holiday's, Seasons Greetings for a Bright Winter Solstice.

It sad to see you have such views as God put breath into your life , but yet you are judgemental, and harsh, everyone in America has the right to Freedom of Speech but I think people as yourself take it to the extremes, you said quote- unquote James Dobson needs to get a life, you are the one who indeed needs to get a life you to let something so simple to crawl under your skin shows how immature you really are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Writer, you are right on. Jesus is the reason for the season, andit would be refreshing to see more people honoring the Lord for Christmas. The reason the secular world has been successful in eliminating Christ from Christmas is because we Christians are notwalking the walk. If we live what we believe, we wouldn't have to say Merry Christmas, They would see God's light shining.

I think we worry too much about gov't and business "affirming" Christmas when many homes don't have any Christmas lights at all. As Christians, we should all show our belief in Christmas by displaying what the ACLU says our gov't. can't. Wouldn't it be great if there was one symbol, like a fish or a star or a baby in a manger, that everyone, even those that don't put up lights, could display in a window of their home at Christmastime?

Great Article, The best thing I see, is people talking about the MOST Important Gift, which is Jesus Himself. Our Father gave him to ALL Mankind, Not just to Christians. He is The One True KING.. If your offended by this, I'll Pray for You. If you don't believe In God, Just remember HE Knows You, each and every one of Us. Thats not my opinion(It has been Revealed to Many of Us) We can ignore this Fact that God came to Us,By Jesus being Born. How Humble Our Father is, He sent his Son, to Fulfill the Old Testament. So we will have Everlasting Life but most of all: To be forgiven for OUR Sins. There is So much proof, That Jesus is GOD, But some would rather ignore His Truth. Thats Sad, Many pick apart everything that has been revealed to Mankind. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE OUR LORD, LOOK AT A NEWBORN CHILD, A HOMELESS PERSON, THE ELDERLY, THE HANDICAPPED. Put your heart out to all People, and you'll feel his Love and Presence. My present to anyone who reads this is: Faith is believing without physically seeing, but most of all its in OUR Soul, where GOD Created all of US. Merry Christmas

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